6 Psychological Factors Have Been Linked To Dementia Risk, And 2 Are More Important Than The Rest

We’ve already shared at HuffPost UK how everything from reading fiction to walking may help to decrease your risk of developing dementia.

In fact, for a small group of genetically predisposed older people, something as simple as fish oil tablets may offer some protective benefits.

And now, a study has been released that suggests those with poor “psychological well-being” may have a higher chance of developing dementia.

This comes from a paper published in the Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry which tracked over 900 participants over 14 years.

They tracked who got mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and dementia, and who didn’t.

The team measured “self-acceptance, autonomy, environmental mastery, purpose in life, positive relation with others, and personal growth,” the researchers said.

Every year, they measured participants’ scores in those six areas using Ryff’s Scales of Psychological Well-Being.

They found that “Psychological well-being (specifically purpose in life and personal growth) became significantly lower before MCI diagnosis,” the study said.

Researchers found that the dip in psychological well-being usually happened six years before the diagnosis.

The 73 participants who developed dementia were more likely to have lower psychological well-being than those who didn’t.

The mean age of participants was 79.9 years old, and “most participants are white and female, which may limit the generalisability of our findings to other populations,” the scientists said.

“Future studies with larger and more diverse samples are warranted to verify our findings,” the paper said ― even then, it only studied older, mostly white, mostly female people.

They did not find that every person with decreased psychological wellbeing got MCI or dementia, nor did they find that every person with good psychological wellbeing was dementia or MCI-free.

“Compared with participants who were dementia-free, those who developed dementia were more likely to be older, female, APOE ε4 carriers, and to have a lower level of psychological well-being (p<0.05 for all),” the paper said.

Dr Richard Oakley, associate director of research and innovation for Alzheimer’s Society, told The Guardian that it’s very likely taking care of your mental health and social life is a prevention factor.

But he added, “At this stage, it is not clear whether we can use these wellbeing factors as a predictor of MCI and we need research to demonstrate if tackling these factors might change the trajectory of a decline in memory and thinking skills.”

Speak to your GP ASAP if you suspect you or a loved one have dementia.